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Scottish cities

Voter turnout is a useful measure of how involved local residents are in democracy and decision-making processes.

Voter turnout at Scottish Parliament elections in selected Scottish cities, 2011 - 2021

Chart showing voter turnout in the Scottish cities in the Scottish Parliamentary elections in 2011, 2016 and 2021. The chart above shows a comparison of voter turnout at the Scottish Parliamentary elections of 2011, 2016 and 2021 in Scotland's largest four cities. Voter turnout rose in every city and across Scotland between 2011 and 2021.

Glasgow has consistently had the lowest voter turnout among these selected Scottish cities, while Edinburgh has consistently had the highest turnout. Nevertheless, turnout in Glasgow has increased the most proportionately across all the cities in the period, a rise of 15 percentage points from 2011. As a result, voter turnout in Glasgow in 2021 was only slightly lower than in Dundee and Aberdeen.

Voter turnout at UK general elections in Scottish cities, 1997 - 2024Trend Line for Voter Turnout by Scottish Cities 1997-2024, under section of Power and Participation

There was a sharp fall of voter turnout across Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow as well as throughout Scotland at the 2024 General Election compared to the 2019 General Election. Glasgow continued to have the lowest turnout in 2024 among the selected Scottish cities, with Edinburgh consistently having the highest turnout in all general elections since 1997.

Notes 

The percentage turnout figures were calculated as an average of the turnout in individual constituencies in these cities. 

The Electoral Commission's report on the 2024 election considered potential reasons for lower turnout across the UK, including issues with postal voting, attitudes towards the political system, and this being the first election for voters in Wales and Scotland where ID was required to vote (this had already been in place in England).

Last update November 2024.

Further reading under ‘Voting’